Way Out West

pretty and pampered

2010-08-24T08:29:00.009-05:00

With the big sisters going back-to-school, Bethany loses her two favorite playmates. She sees all their excitement and anticipation building up, and then they're gone. I try to plan fun stuff for us to do for a few weeks until she starts preschool.

She had seen her sisters get haircuts (and shampoos) last week, but I told her if she waited I would take her somewhere special. A new salon for kids opened nearby, and since they mailed us a coupon, we decided to check it out. When we arrived, there were no other customers, so she thought she was really being pampered. First, she had her hair washed with chocolate shampoo. Even with the booster, she had a hard time reclining with her head in the sink. But it definitely made her feel like a big girl. One of the perks of this place is that you get to sit in an elevated vehicle for the cut (she chose the pink jeep) and you also get to select a DVD to watch (she chose Tom & Jerry).
Her hair had grown fairly long, but not quite enough for a 10 inch donation. We ended up taking about 8 inches off. The stylist finished her up with a blow dry, then a little spritz and a clip. Very cute!

The final surprise was the complimentary manicure (she chose purple). It certainly made her feel special.

back to business!

2010-08-23T14:48:00.010-05:00

this summer was busy. fun, but busy. it also went by very quickly. can't believe it's over. now here we go, tumbling head first into another school year !

first on the list: elementary school

Anna is in 2nd grade and super excited. I love that she is so enthusiastic about school. She loves being with her friends. She loves reading. She loves art. I'm anxious to see what she does with her newest skill: organization!

She squealed several times this morning in the car on the way to school. Ear piercing squeals. Squeals of excitement. Any butterflies she had in her tummy were not nerves, just pure excitement!

The drop-off process was going smoothly. This is our family's 6th year at this school, so we've gotten the routine down pat. Anna has a teacher this year that Katie had 4 years ago. I was feeling confident. Then... I passed one of the staff in the hallway... her comment was "only one this year?" (referring to the fact that Katie had moved on.)... well, that was my breaking point. I'm glad I was walking a step behind Shayne and Anna because I lost it for a minute.

Anna got off the bus with a skip in her step. I said "how was your day?". She said "I loved it!" I still have to pry for details... my questions alwaysstart with "did you make any new friends", "who did you play with at recess?, "who did you sit next to at lunch?" I want to know who my kids are spending time with!

next on the list: middle school (yikes!)

Yes... big changes in the West house. We've entered a new frontier. But we've entered with eager anticipation. She's excited, so we're excited for her. For the past several weeks, (more like months) she's been known to spontaneously burst out "I'm going to middle school". Don't stand to close, you might get hit with a flailing arm!

She spent a half-day at the school last week running through all the drills - classes, teachers, lockers, cafeteria. She hit the ground running this morning. I've been very pleased to see how they ease the 6th graders into the school. Here is her line-up: GT English, Advanced Contemporary Literacy, Phys Ed, Theatre Arts, Pre AP Math, Social Studies, AIM/Model UN, and Science. She's pleased with all of her teachers so far (has her faves picked out). She has her folders and notebooks labeled and her textbooks covered.

It was a little nerve-wrecking this morning waiting for the bus. It was 25 minutes late! I think she enjoyed hanging out at the bus stop with her girlfriends though. The bus was only a few minutes behind on the trip home. She made it very clear that she didn't want any family waiting for her at the bus stop. The sisters and I hung out halfway up the street. She was very happy to see us. (or maybe she was just happy to get off the bus - no A/C, 100+ degrees!)

She reported a smooth day. The gliches in the schedule were nobody's fault, just the school needing to iron out all the kinks. They report to advisory closes at the beginning and ending of each day just for this week, so the rest of the day is on an alternate schedule. She'll get the hang of it.

It was a great first day of school and it's going to be a great year!

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2010-05-01T17:58:00.002-05:00

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DT - ed 5

2010-04-29T18:37:00.003-05:00

menu: smoked sausage, chicken flavored noodles, and spinach salad

dinner was fast tonite. Shayne was anxious to get some yardwork done while he had good dayligh AND his phone kept ringing.

Anna finished reading Junie B. Jones One Man Band and dove right into Ramona and Her Mother. can you guess which one I picked out and which one she picked out? I had lunch with her at school. nothing like a slice of cafeteria pizza to satisfy your taste buds (ha!). she just finished trying on her outfit for tomorrow. they've been studying Egypt and it's dress-up day!

Katie had her last round of TAKS testing for the year - science. everyone seems to get so worked up about it. hasn't there always been standardized testing? I remember doing that stuff when I was a kid. anyway, it doesn't phase her! she's on the computer right now, doing some of her People to People research. she's so excited about her trip to DC this summer!

Bethany went to preschool today. they've been learning about the 5 senses and she had a homework assignment to turn in. she had a booklet, and each page was a ziploc bag with one of the senses in it. for sight, she put in a photo of her family. for hearing, she put in a small bell. for smell, she put in a purple flower. for taste, a peppermint. for touch, a pice of grosgrain ribbon. it was a fun project to work on together!

week in review - edition 2

2010-04-28T15:32:00.004-05:00

here we go again...

last Monday, I went to school with Bethany. they asked me to sub because the older class was going on a field trip and they needed an extra hand at the school. I helped with crayon rubbings, ran the potty patrol, and counted to ten in French for the penny path. it was fun, but it wore me out. no rest for the weary! my Daisy Girl Scouts needed their fearless leader to guide them through another meeting. we are working on our 'Bridging to Brownies' program. only 2 meetings left this year!

Tuesday started with another wonderful lesson in ladies class. then my girlfriend dragged me to the craft store and forced me to look at scrapbook stuff. after school, I took Katie to the middle school to try out some band instruments. she has selected theater arts as her fine arts elective, but just in case she doesn't get in, I want her to be excited about her second choice. she was asked to choose 3 instruments to try (and more, if she liked). her selections included tuba, bassoon and percussion. she also tried the tuba. she tested really well on each of them, but decided to go with bassoon. because it is not one of the popular instruments, she was guaranteed a spot. AND, if she sticks with it throughout her secondary school career, she has a pretty good chance at a music scholarship because colleges are always looking for good bassoon players. who would have thought...

Wednesday - field trip! oh, may aching feet. (oops, I'm not supposed to say that yet). I was fortunate enough to be able to accompany Anna's class on a day trip to Sea World. it was not an open to the public day, but there were a gazillion 1st graders there. Anna's teachers had enough volunteers that we each pretty much spent the day with our own kiddo. we spent most of the day with another mother/daughter from our GS troop. the rides and entertainment were not running since it was just an educational day, but we saw most of the animals. Anna's fave was the Shamu show. It was a lot of walking, hence the achey feet. I drove several parents in my car and we stopped at McD's on the way out for cold drinks. I dropped them all back at the school, then went to my friends house to pick up Bethany (thanks Lisa!). We pulled into the driveway about 5 minutes behind my cousin Greg, and 5 minutes before the girls got off the bus. Greg had been on a road trip from Virginia to the Grand Canyon, and was on his way to Florida, via motorcycle. We took him to eat at Alamo Cafe and then dropped Katie off so she could get set up for her orchestra concert. We were all supposed to go, but everyone was was worn out, so ended up trekking back for the show by myself. (Bethany, by the way, had laid down for a nap around 3:30 p.m., not to wak up until 7:30 a.m. the next morning.) The show was great, although I'm not sure why they try to cram so many schools into one night. It was packed. I was actually glad that I didn't have the sisters with me. It would have been uncomfortable for everyone. by the way, now my feet were really aching!

Thursday morning, one of Bethany's friends came over bright and early because her mom had a doctor's appointment. Before I delivered them to school, we sent Greg on his way. I did my parent volunteer work at the school, then came home to prep for my weekend getaway. What?!? I didn't tell you? scrapbook retreat. no kids, no hubby. a bed all to myself. no meals to prepare or dishes to wash. I prepared a fancy dinner for Shayne and the kids (nachos!) and I was on my way.

Friday :)

Saturday :)

Sunday I was actually ready to return home. What do I love about being gone? My kids are so excited to see me when I get home! They had done a little traveling themselves, so the house was not in too much disrepair. A B-I-G thanks to Shayne for giving me the time-off!

dinnertime - edition 4

2010-04-27T21:46:00.002-05:00

menu: shepherd's pie - a standard in our house, always double it and share!

Another crazy busy week has passed. Today felt a bit more normal (whatever that is). The school year is coming to an end, our loads are being lightened and extracurricular activities are wrapping up.

Katie had a fairly low-key day. She came home talking about an extensive math problem it took 2 full pieces of paper to solve. Math is not her fave, but she's still good at it when she puts her mind to it. She is currently reading the children's classic Heidi, by Joanna Spyri. Last week she read The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Can't wait to see what she chooses next!

Anna had a super day, but not because of school. She got to go home with a friend for the afternoon. Just some good ol' girly girl fun! They played dress-up, made friendship bracelets, and surfed the net. We were working on her math homework after dinner and got stumped on this problem: can you come up with a doubles fact from 10-4? I said no, it would need to be 10-5=5 ot 5+5=10. Shayne said yes, 5+5=10 and 2+2=4. Who is right? (Anna put a question mark and said she's ask the teacher tomorrow.)

Bethany and I had a lovely day together. After Ladies Bible Class, we went to lunch with some of the other ladies at Pei Wei. Bethany was the only child there, and she kept the table entertained. Despite the fact that we rarely eat asian food, she took right to the chopsticks. Her fortune cookie said "do not search for happiness, create it'. So perfect for her!

week in review - edition 1

2010-04-19T20:46:00.015-05:00

didn't have much spare time in the evenings last week. do you want to know what we were up to?

*inhale* Tuesday uh, one of those days, started off fine, had two extra kiddos for the morning, went to ladies Bible class, then out to lunch with 3 in tow, they all did great, on our way home, got a call from the school nurse that Anna had thrown up in class, fortunately, Shayne was working from home so he was able to pick her up, got home with the 3 girls, got Anna cleaned up and settled in her room, enforced madatory quiet time, 2 extras went home, Katie came home from school with the neighbor girl in tow, she had forgotten her housekey, so she hung out with us for a few hours, add 3 more to that mix for another hour or so as a favor to another friend, minus 2 of those 3, then bye bye to the neighbor, one left plus my own, let's eat dinner!, then off to math & science night at the school, got a preview of the art show, played some math games, saw some cool experiments and met some creepy creatures, drop the extra off, then get back home to my sleepy baby, my sick baby, and my hubby, get everyone off to bed, then have some mommy daddy time. *exhale* one of those days!

Wednesday was a little smoother. I kept Anna home, just in case, and Bethany thought that was wonderful! She had a playmate all day, which also allowed me to get through some of my piles and stacks. We worked on Anna's sarcophagus project, and Katie's egg-packing project. I am always thrilled on Wednesday afternoons when I relize I don't have to worry about dinner. We eat at church before our wednesday night classes. Shayne and I are team teaching the preschool class, and it was my week to teach - one more thing to prepare for. We have a rascally bunch of kiddos, and evening classes are rough because it's usually past their bedtime by the time we finish. Get my kids home, bathed and off to bed. whew!

Thursdays are always my "go" days. Get the girls to school, get B to preschool, go back to the other school to volunteer for a few hours, run a few errands, pick B up and get her home so she can get a quick nap before the girls get home at 3. (I love the school bus!) I did stop this afternoon and treat myself to a foot massage. It was part of a package Shayne gave me for Christmas, and I've been having some heel pain (plantar fasciitis), so the timing was right. Another school activity - Young Masters Art show - both of the girls had pieces submitted (I love it when that happens.)

I posted Anna's picture upside down BECAUSE it was accidentally mounted upside down. If you look close enough, you can see the sun shining at the bottom of the ocean. You'll also seethat the art is made up completely of dots. I'm sure their is a name for that technique, but I don't know what it is. Katie's picture is a simply patterned pastel. Both are beautiful! So proud!!!
After the art show, we had plans to meet some friends for dinner. They were visiting SA from out of state, and despite our busy week/weekend, we made it a priority to see them since we hadn't seen them in several years. It was difficult to carry on a productive conversation in a noisy restaurant, and with 6 children between us, but the time together was still fun! Here all the girls...

Sad to say, but I honestly can't remember what I did most of Friday, but I know I was exhausted by the end of the day, so it must have been something! Probably prepping for the weekend, prepping for scouts on Monday night, prepping for my scrappin' getaway next weekend + kitchen + laundry + misc parenting duties. Shayne was supposed to be gone for the church men's retreat, but it got rained out, so they had it at the church instead. That means he came home really late and left really early the next morning. I slept upstairs with the kids so I wouldn't be disturbed. Katie had a friend sleepover, and we played games and watched movies most of the evening. There may have been a bit of karaoke in there too. :)

Saturday morning we lounged (as much as one can lounge once the 4 year old wakes up). We did some family chores and waited for Daddy to get home. We had our out-of-town friends over for dinner, and Shayne made yummy cheesy tortilla hot dogs on the grill. We were confined to the inside of the house all day because it was wet wet wet outside! (Thank goodness for the rain!)

Sunday morning brings church, which these days is almost an all day event. There are several different classes we are involved in, so we often take two cars so we can divide and conquer when we need to. Needless to say, everyone was ready for bed come sundown Sunday night!

I realize that's only 6 days, but that'll have to do for now! Monday wore me out again!

dinnertime - edition 3

2010-04-12T20:35:00.004-05:00

menu: Stouffer's Express - Chicken Rigatoni (a new family fave!) and bluberry applesauce

We are all recovering from a busy 10 days. We've had family coming and going, lots of food and drink, lots of linens to wash, lots of activity... hopefully we'll all be back into our routine in the next few days!

When I picked up Bethany at preschool, she was being carried by her teacher and crying big, real tears. She had fallen on the way back in from the playground and scraped her knee up pretty bad. The Dora mermaid bandage made it better! She was also V E R Y tired. Since she wouldn't let me touch her knee, I just let her soak in the tub in lieu of quiet time. Her favorite time of day is 3:00 p.m. - that's when her sisters get home from school! I feel very blessed as a parent to have 3 children who truly enjoy being together most of the time.

Katie had some exciting news today. The music teachers selected her (and her friend Hailey) to emcee the teacher talent show next month. They have been most supportive of the girls as they prepare for their trip to D.C. this summer. They wanted to give them this opportunity to be in the spotlight, especially since they are moving on to middle school next year. (yikes!) Katie also had a special visitor to her class - her teacher has been out on maternity leave. She came to visit today with the baby. She'll be returning to work in the next weeke or so.

Anna came home very happy today, for no particular reason, which makes mommy very happy! She said they had a fun art project - tissue paper flowers, and they read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs AND part of Junie B. Jones Something Smells Fishy. Continuing their study of Egypt, their project this week is to make a sarcophogas (when I was 7, I din't know what that was). She has to create the design on the outside, and wrap the mummy for the inside. Art is totally her thing, books being a close second, so I guess that explains her good mood! Love it!

I spent a good part of the day sorting another to bags of hand-me-downs. We are so lucky, but sometimes I feel bad that my kids rarely have anything new. I guess I shouldn't worry about it until they worry about it. I'm sure it will come soon enough!

dinnertime - edition 2

2010-04-08T18:35:00.005-05:00

menu for tonight: Auntie Anne's pretzel dogs (purchased from one of the school fundraisers) and raw carrots - prepared by Katie; Sonic slushes to drink - leftover from our afternoon errands. this is one of those quick and easy nights - Shayne's not here, so I just want to get the kids fed and to bed!

Shayne spent the night in Brady last night with his brothers, so we rearranged our morning routine a bit. I let everybody sleep until 7, then we got up and ready really quick and were out the door by 7:30. All the girls needed a little extra beauty sleep, including me! (especially me!)

Thursdays are fun for Anna because she gets to see ME during the day! I usually spend a few hours doing copying, laminating, cutting, hanging, etc. for the teachers. Sometimes I even get to eat lunch with her, if the timing works out right. The are learning about plants, and specifically talked about seeds today. They got to sample several foods, then describe the differences and characteristics. She liked the avocado, strawberry, lemon, and lime. She did not care for the pea or cucumber, and thought the papaya was particularly disgusting (she used the term 'vomit' to describe it). She designed a glittery samurai poster to wrap up her reading group's review of the Magic Tree House - Night of the Ninjas book. In P.E., she was given a green star for winning her sprint.!

Bethany had a full day of preschool day. When I left her, she was working intently on a ball of orange play-do. She also painted a rainbow, on it the teacher wrote Bethany's words "At the end of the rainbow, I would like to find new clothes like pink and purple skirts." (refer to previous 'skirt' post for additional laughs.) Would you believe that we both catnapped again today? Two-days in a row! woo-hoo!

Katie spends Thursdays in an alternative classroom for gifted students. She was a little disappointed today because, after 2 days of testing, she found out her class was working on an art project most of the day. In GT, she spent most of her time working on her research project: Slavery in the United States.

After school, I loaded the kids in the car, grabbed a few slushes at Sonic Happy Hour, then went driving around the area looking for wildflowers. We made several stops, and got several great shots!

dinnertime - edition 1

2010-04-06T17:52:00.005-05:00

trying something new, since I've been slacking so badly on blogging lately.

our dinner table conversations usually revolve around the events of the day, I'm going to try to record them.

so, here I am, with the laptop at the dinner table...

menu for tonight:
Hamburger Helper (cheesy hashbrown flavor) and spring mix salad

Katie took the math portion of the TAKS today. She thinks she did very well on it. The principal came by early in the day and sprinkled them all with magical fairy dust. Everyone in her class finished in time to go to P.E. She finished earlier in the day, and had several hours to read. Her book of the day is Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Her homework today was to balance a checkbook. Shayne gave her several figures to work with, and I tore out the middle unused section of the check register. She spent some time on the computer, then worked on her People to People thank you cards.

Anna's class is studying ancient Egypt. Her homework assignment this week is to build a model of a pyramid. We brainstormed several ideas yesterday and decided on legos. We completed the structure today. The most colorful pyramid, for sure! She found out today that one of her pieces of artwork was selected for the Young Masters Art Show next week. (Katie had one selected too.) She's been invited to attend a birthday costume party this weekend. I wonder what she'll wear...

Bethany went to Sonshine class this morning while I was at Ladies' Bible Class. They had a bug hunt and and made puzzles of the earth. There was a potluck afterwards, mostly grown-up food, but she ate some broccoli and coconut cake. We went to the library to pick up some books we had on hold, and she picked out 2 for herself: Counting Kisses and Counting Wildflowers. She also picked out the Scholastic Cinderella DVD that included stories of Hansel and Gretel, Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the Elves of the Shoemaker. (We haven't watched it yet.) She and mommy had an awesome nap - don't get to do that together much anymore.

Everyone is heading for bath and bed now. I'm planning on walking the neighborhood tonight - really feeling the need to move. If I can squeeze it in, I'll also watch my DVR shows - DWTS & Idol.

Hopefully we'll have another update in a few days!

skirting the issue

2010-01-28T20:11:00.002-06:00

Bethany is almost 4.

Bethany is all girl, but not too prissy.

Bethany loves to wear skirts and dresses.

I've tried to convince her that she can wear some of her dresses with blue jeans underneath. She didn't go for it. She doesn't even like to wear stretchpants or leggings underneath. Tights don't bother her so much, fortunately.

Bethany's closet consists mostly of hand-me-downs. With two big sisters, plus several thoughtful friends, she definitely has an abundant wardrobe. Ask me how much of it she'll wear... let's say less than half. When Katie and Anna were that age, I never let them wear dresses to school. It was always pants and tennis shoes. Since they've been passed down, and she's at the bottom of the chain, I've let her have a little bit more flexibility.

Yes, I realize at this point, I should post some adorable pictures of her wearing said dresses. If you've been following our blog, you'll know that I've been slacking in the post area. I have now made the decision that it's more important to get the thoughts down than worry about whether or not the pictures are attached. I'm hoping to get back on the bandwagon soon!

Back to the story... because she is so passionate about her wardrobe choices, I've been able to use it as a bartering tool. "if you pick up your toys, I'll let you wear a skirt to school." "if you stay in bed and take a nap, I'll let you wear a skirt tomorrow." You get the idea. It has worked better than anything else I've tried.

Bethany's birthday is in a few weeks. Looks like we'll be shopping for skirts!

subbing

2010-01-26T21:10:00.002-06:00

I unpurposely discovered last year how easy it would be to do some part-time substitute teaching at the girls elementary school. Unfortunately, the school district was not accepting applications for new subs at the time, so I had to wait. I went through all the paperwork and training over the summer, and started working back in October. I've only made myself available on the days when Bethany is in preschool, so I'm still filling this last few years of having her at home with plenty of mommy time. Because Katie has been at the school for 4+ years now, and I did quite a bit of volunteering for Anna's class last year, I've gotten really familiar with all the in's and out's of how the school operates. There is really a wonderful network of families - friends - classmates - teachers - siblings - etc. that have made it easy to get my name out there. I have been able to work about once a week, and have to turn away as many jobs as I accept because of scheduling conflicts.
I also have to mention the wonderful support of friends who have helped us out as we've adjusted to a different schedule. Bethany's preschool day is 9-2. A full-day sub job is 7:30-3. That leaves a clump of time that she gets juggled. Shayne is fortunate enough to have the option to work from home sometimes, and that has helped a lot. And I know he's enjoyed being a little more tuned-in to her life too.
I have enjoyed being up at the school more, just so I can be close to Katie and Anna. No, I do not think I would qualify as a helicopter. It's just nice to be near - I love the spontaneous smiles, hugs and kisses in the hallway or cafeteria. It's enabled me to connect on a different level with their teachers as well. I truly believe that having that open line of communication between teachers and parents is a HUGE part of a child's success in school.
Bethany has another full year of preschool, then she'll be able to join us. Of course, by that point, Katie will be in middle school. I'll be able to work 3-4 days per week. Shayne already has those paychecks worked into the budget. For now, I've got my foot in the door, and it gives us a little fun money.

beanboozled

2010-01-02T21:29:00.008-06:00

The girls found these Jelly Belly candies in their stockings on Christmas morning. I think they waited until after breakfast to start the sampling. The good ones are good, but the bad ones are BAD! Problem is, you just don't know until you've started chewing.

Bethany found one of the boxes today and there were just a few jelly beans left in it. She has decided she really likes the licorice flavor, so she went for black.

She started chewing and said "mmm!".

I said "did you get black licorice?"

She said "yes".

I said "let me smell".

***me taking a big whiff***

Definitely NOT black licorice! She was quite amused at my reaction. I tried to get her to drink something so the smell would go away, but she refused. She kept breathing on me, and I literally had to get away from her. It smelled like old gym shoes. It was actually SKUNK! Nasty!

I wonder who comes up with these flavors! Do they actually have taste testers? Blech!

cotillion

2009-11-21T19:41:00.007-06:00

co.til.lion \k-o/til/yen \ also co.til.lon \k-o/til/yen, k. o/t-e/ (y)-on\ n [F cotillion, Lit., petticoat, fr. OF, fr. cote coat] 1: a ballroom dance for couples that resembles the quadrille 2: an elaborate dance with frequent changing of partners carried out under the leadership of one couple at formal balls 3: To assemble a group of young people to develop, appreciate and respect their role in society through dance and social skills education.

We've known a few other kids who have gone through cotillion classes, and when we found out it was available in our area through JDW, we decided to take advantage of it. Katie was very excited, because she loves new experiences, but nervous because she didn't know anyone else in the class. We had fun shopping for dresses and playing with her hair.

Week #1 - introductions

Week #2 - ladies' choice (happened to fall on Katie's birthday)

Week #3 - costume party

Week #4 - table ettiquete (mom as chaperone)

Week #5 - daddy daughter dance
It was a fun experience and I look forward to doing it again, twice!

Katie's #11

2009-10-12T21:49:00.008-05:00

Katie's birthday was on a Tuesday this year. We always get up and do our little family thing in the morning - gifts and breakfast candles. That evening, she had one of her cotillion classes - we'll do that in another post.

The big party was planned for Saturday. She and her friend Emily have been talking for years about doing a party together. They are exactly one week apart in age, and have known each other since they were 2 years old.

We hosted a pool party at a natatorium on the other side of town. They have a lot of friends in common - between church, school, and scouts. It was a great group of kids!

I think they got the biggest kick out of the diving boards. Most pools don't have them anymore, for liability reasons I guess. I don't know what the exact height was, but it was a good ways up there.

Number eleven is going to be another great year! We love you, Katie!

how's the weather?

2009-09-20T23:03:00.009-05:00

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.

I was a bit skeptical when I heard they were making it into a movie.

I have to say, it was pretty cute.

They exaggerated the storyline quite a bit, but did it in an entertaining way.

They even added a little romance.

It was especially fun in 3-D! And they don't just pass out those flimsy paper glasses... now we get real shades!

Anna's teacher read the book in class, then invited the children and their families to join her at the theater to see the movie. Anna even got to sit next to her. What a thrill! Thanks Mrs. Cherry!

oompa loompa doompadee doo

2009-09-13T23:39:00.001-05:00

I don't remember the first time I saw the original movie (Gene Wilder) and I still haven't seen the new one (Johnny Depp), but I do remember reading the books. My sister had the Roald Dahl box set, and I loved the fantasy and imagination they provided. The Magik Theatre always does such wonderful interpretations - this time they mixed a little old and a little new. Fun for everyone!

Charlie and Grandpa... Augustus, Mike, and Violet... the oompa loompas... Willie Wonka...

preschool readiness

2009-09-12T11:00:00.004-05:00

Does this little girl look like she's ready for preschool or what!
It's actually the first day of her second year of preschool, and she is SO ready! She loved being with her sisters all summer, but they started school 2 weeks ago and she's been stuck at home with boring ol' mom. It's gonna be a great year!

at the movies

2009-09-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

I've never been one for stage performance myself, but we've discovered that our children have quite the knack. Here is a little montage of movie quotes we put together for our church talent show. See how many you can guess!

Nobody puts Baby in a corner… I’m late I’m late for a very important date… One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know… Toga! Toga! … Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates… Scrumdiddlyumptious! … You dumb dumb, you give me gum gum… Stick with your man. Think of him as chewing gum. By the end of the game, I want you to know what flavor he is… You smell like Phys Ed! … There's no crying in baseball! … Show me the money! … Just a bit outside… If you build it, he will come… May the Force be with you… Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! … I'm here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way… Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings… What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy? … Who you gonna call? … Bueller… Bueller… phone home… That might be so, but by God, I ain't never said a word to a pig… Wax on, wax off… Snakes. Why'd it hafta be snakes? … I'm king of the world! … Dah dum dah daum …You're gonna need a bigger boat… Just keep swimming Just keep swimming… I feel the need -- the need for speed! … To infinity…and beyond! … Houston, we have a problem… Shane. Shane. Come back! … Was that floatin' like a Cadillac, or was that stingin' like a Beemer? … To the Batmobile… Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean? … I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore… Republic. I like the sound of the word… Groovy, baby! … In Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen… Mirror Mirror on the Wall… But enough about me. What about you? What do you think of me? … (slap cheeks) aaaargh! … Here's looking at you, kid… You talking to me? … Garçon! Coffee! 'Garçon' means boy… just a spoonful of sugar… As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again… Where are the chips? Somebody stole them. Did you not tell them that they were the Lord's chips? … Stella! … No more wire hangers! … Ye Gads! … You can't handle the truth! … We love you Misses Hannigan… I love you. Ditto… Hasta la vista, baby… How about a hug? … Get your stinking paws off me, you dirty ape… I'll be back.

1st and 5th

2009-08-25T10:04:00.011-05:00

Oh my goodness!

Can you believe how grown up they both look?

We're looking forward to another great year. We are thrilled with our teachers and excited about our classes. Can't wait to learn new things and meet new friends!

cowboy camp

2009-08-10T09:16:00.009-05:00

We are lifelong fans of the Dallas Cowboys. They haven't always had their training camp in San Antonio, but have several times since we've lived here. Can you believe this is the first time we've gone to watch? And it's free!

The girls weren't exactly thrilled to be there. They've each been to their share of sporting events in their lives, but with this just being training camp, there was no music, cheerleaders, or any other hoopla. They weren't too impressed. All they wanted was cotton candy and popcorn.

It was a fun family afternoon! GO COWBOYS!

lucky number 7

2009-08-09T09:18:00.015-05:00

Our sweet little Anna is growing up! She is the most passive of the 3, so quiet and humble. She loves to draw. She loves to play with her dolls. She loves fishing with Daddy.

We did our little tradition of a birthday morning muffin...

She loved the movie Bolt, so she got the DVD and a pair of tights like the ones Penny wears. (That's what she wants to be for Halloween.)

She'd also been asking for a hamster. Mom and Dad opted for a guinea pig (easier to locate if it gets loose!). His name is Chester. Coincidentally, while we were on vacation the week before, we saw the movie G-Force. Too cute!!!

We discussed several options for party plans this year, and she just kept coming back to a sleepover. The girls made their own mini-pizzas for dinner, followed by a little cake and ice cream. Games and a movie, then lights out! (my kind of sleepover!) Waffles and smoothies for breakfast, then everyone was on their way.

summer vacation

2009-08-04T07:38:00.010-05:00

We have some wonderful friends that we have been vacationing with for 6 years now. This was our fourth time to get together. We've been there (CT), they've been here, and we even had a jaunt to her parents house in Florida. This time, we decided to venture up North again. They are wonderful hosts and tour guides. And, all our kids get along great! Might I say "never a dull moment"?

They have lots to do at their house (you just gotta when you have 4 boys and a home daycare!). The kids spent quite a bit of time in the pool. It is a heated pool, but the girls were still a little shocked at the temperature (it was actually the air that was quite a bit cooler). Notice the gorgeous trees in the background! Rumor is, there's a bear out there...

Her parents have a lakehouse up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They were gracious enough to share their space with us (again) for a few days. The weather was perfect. Unfortunately, sweet little Anna wasn't feeling well (she ended up being down for a few days).

Did I mention we travelled across the multi-state area in a 30+ foot RV? It worked out great for us... all 11 of us! We all got to be in one vehicle (all 11 of us!), the kids had a little freedom to move around (yes, the little ones were in car seats), we had a potty (hence, we had fewer stops), we had a kitchen at our fingertips (have you ever seen the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball?), AND when we were driving through the mountains, everyone had an awesome view (all the kids in the back room - to get the bestest view!)...

How can you pass through Freeport and not stop at the L.L. Bean Flagship Store (and the outlet, of course).

We spent another night at campsite along the coast of Maine. Wouldn't it figure that is when the rains would come. Everybody was filthy, but we had fun anyway. The boys even survived a night in the tent!

One of our favorite books is One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey. It was very surreal to be standing on the same beaches where the story took place. No lost teeth though. More muck and mud... we'll call it a science lesson!

more bars in more places...
(okay, I know it's too many bars, but isn't it too cute?)

Last but not least, we visited the Mark Twain house in Hartford. While we were waiting for our tour guide, we came upon this life-size lego statue. Pretty cool. We weren't allowed to take any pictures in the house, but you can take a virtual tour.

We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. It's amazing to me too, that even though we only see each other every other year, the kids come back together like they hadn't missed a beat.

Looking forward to 2011!

when in rome...

2009-07-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

Our church hosted an awesome VBS this year! We 'journeyed' to Rome and learned all about Paul and the Underground church, from an insider's perspective. A lot of people put a lot of work into it. We were group leaders, so we didn't miss a minute. The girls brought their friends too. It was a fun experience! Here are a few of the pics...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Next year... Egypt, maybe?

singin' in the rain

2009-07-08T13:10:00.005-05:00

...one of our favorite family movies, so of course my girls know how to do Gene Kelly's famous steps.

Here is Bethany doing her rendition. Not bad for a 3 year old!
(you'll have to tilt your head to the left - sorry)

Anna is visiting Grandma & Grandpa this week, that's why she's not in the picture.

happy father's day!

2009-06-22T21:35:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this really has nothing to do with Father's Day. It just happened to fall on the same day...

Some dear friends were passing through town, and the only time we were able to connect was Sunday lunch. We still decided to go for the manly meal - steak and potatoes - and brave the restaurant crowds with our own little crowd of 10. We made it through the meal with only one broken dish, lots of peanut shells, and full tummies!

Cryste and I used to rock our babies together in the nursery at church during worship. Our 'babies' are now 7. Since then, between our 2 families, we've added 3 more! They were forced to move on a few years back... we still touch base every now and then (but not often enough).

Memories!

rockin' rabbit

2009-06-18T20:28:00.008-05:00

I am an equal opportunity mother... I try to make sure that each child has the same opportunities as those siblings before them. Katie and Anna each took dance classes and had the chance to perform in a recital. I was happy with their experiences at Dance Plus, so it was only natural for Bethany to attend there as well.

Katie loved class, but didn't care for the stage.

Anna did not enjoy class, but was a shining star at the recital.

I was curious how Bethany's experience would play out. She was the youngest in her class, and was easily distracted, but picked up on the moves quickly.

Would you like to see how the recital went?
(this is actually a video clip of the dress rehearsal)

Here are a few of my favorite shots...

...cute little bunny tails,
a little shuffle step,
and a little extra from our littlest entertainer...

This was the finale. All the big girls had a choregraphed routine, and the little ones were invited to join them on stage. Bethany was the only bunny up there. She observed for a moment, then joined right in! It was hilarious and totally unrehearsed.

btw, Bethany was asked to join the preschool competition team. an honor, yes. worth the time and money at this point in her (our) life? her parents regrettedly declined. we will look for more opportunities in the future. never say never!

cousin fun!

2009-06-17T21:34:00.038-05:00

After months of planning, we finally arranged for my niece to come visit. She spent a whirlwind week with us. It was 100% pure girl fun!!!

She arrived on Tuesday afternoon. We went straight from the airport to the Witte museum (it's free on Tuesday afternoons).

From there, we headed home, unloaded, changed clothes, then back out to a pool party. Everyone slept very well that night, needless to say!

Wednesday morning, we took Bethany to her last dance class (recital pics coming soon), then went downtown for some more tourism...

lunch on the Riverwalk, a tour of the Alamo, then $4 raspas (snocones). Poor Josie was not accustomed to our South Texas heat!

Thursday was Six Flags! Josie had never been to an amusement park before, so it was a real thrill. We rode some rides and then headed to the water park. Fun for all!

Friday we decided to take things easy. We did escape for a while in the afternoon - I took Anna & Josie to library for a mini-production of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", put on by our favorite children's theatre. (I love the picture of the girls whispering to each other.)

One of Josie's wishes for the week was to go to the mall. We spent Saturday morning at NorthStar (home of the big boots). We took her to Build-A-Bear and the Disney store. Look at the smiles!

You might think I'm crazy, but I took the girls straight from the mall to Chuck E. Cheese... filled their tummies and burned off some energy. I got to sit and watch. :)

Sunday morning - all dressed up for church. Nana was here a few weeks earlier and bought the matching outfits. Too cute!

Last hurrah - Monday morning we caught the free showing of Madagascar at the Palladium Theater. That place is huge!

Straight to the airport from there. It was a great week. Next summer, we're hoping for two!

a favorite person

2009-06-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

We starting attending our current church when we moved to SA in the Summer of 2001. Katie was not yet 3 years old. On Sunday mornings, her teacher was Ms. Sharon. It didn't take long for us to realize what a special lady she was. She has since taught Anna and Bethany as well. It takes a certain kind of person to teach a group of wiggly 2 year olds week after week, year after year! Bethany moved up to the preschool class at the beginning of this summer. It was one of those moments where you stop to catch your breath and realize your family is growing up. We're very glad that Ms. Sharon has been a part of that process.

daisies at the garden

2009-06-07T19:01:00.003-05:00

We took Anna's Girl Scout Daisy Troop to the San Antonio Botanical Garden to wrap up our first year. They had a series of stations set up for the girls to learn about different aspects of gardening... composting, bugs, planting, plus crafts and stories, of course!

It was VERY H-O-T!

We did a quick stroll through to see all the displays, then headed down the street for some YUMMY cupcakes at the Cupcake Cabin, courtesy of Kate's Frosting.

Did I say yummy? Yummy!

planting seeds

2009-05-31T18:50:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a gardener. Wish I was. We picked up these seed packets a while back and just got around to planting them. Each of the girls had their own flower pot and planted the seed of their choice. It was a fun science lesson - comparing each of the different types of seeds. I actually remembered to grab the camera.

Maybe we'll have an update later in the summer.

the melodrama

2009-05-30T22:50:00.005-05:00

The girls had such a blast in the talent show last year, they decided to try out again this year. They got a bunch of their friends, including brothers and sisters, and put on a skit we picked up at our church family retreat.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

By the way, the teachers asked me to head up the decorating committee. The theme was "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I had never done anything like that before, but I think it turned out pretty good. I was very proud of myself!

A special thanks to all the parents who helped, to our awesome music teachers, to the Browns for sharing the script and props with us, and to all our friends and family who came to watch!

hannah montana!!!

2009-05-28T21:08:00.002-05:00

One of Anna's Kinder pals had a Hannah Montana themed birthday party. Little did we know, the superstar herself would be there! The girls were quite impressed (Anna figured out it was an impersonator pretty quick, Bethany was mesmerized.) She put on a pretty good show, including a lesson in how to do the haystack shuffle (or whatever it's called). And autographs to boot!

Gruene

2009-05-27T16:19:00.006-05:00

Shayne's brother lives on the North side of Austin, and we don't get together nearly enough. A few times a year, we try to pick a central location, and meet for a meal. This time, the estination of choice was Gruene. The date, Memorial Day (ugh). The weather, HOT (double ugh).

The girls had a blast taking turns entertaining their cousin.

After dining at the Gristmill, we walked down to the river and waded for a bit. I'll say it again - it was HOT! So, the water felt good. Next time, we're taking the swimsuits.

dress up

2009-05-23T15:56:00.006-05:00

My girls have always loved playing dress up, and I've always tried to offer a variety of costumes for them to play with. We were at a friends house recently, when what should appear at the top of the stairs? we definitely don't have any of these at home...

preschool traditions

2009-05-22T21:16:00.014-05:00

Bethany is in preschool at the same place where Anna went for the 3 previous years. We love the consistency and traditions they have carried over from year to year, yet they still manage to add something new and fun every year.

She had a wonderful teacher this year, and together we overcame several hurdles. We had a rough start, but everything turned out great.

There is no question in my mind that Bethany is living the stereotypical 3rd child entertainer role. She enjoys being on stage and has no hesitation being in the spotlight. She knows all the words and motions to the songs. Now if we could just teach her to stand like a lady, instead of lifting her dress and scratching her bottom!

Simple water play is so much fun... kiddie pools, bubbles, painting, and of course, ice cream!
Bethany has been really been good about wearing her hat. I told her the sun would burn her head if she didn't wear it. Fortunately, it's pink, so she doesn't mind.

battle of the books

2009-05-21T21:11:00.008-05:00

Katie is an avid reader. I've never had to make her read anything. Usually I have to make her put the book down because she's supposed to be doing something else.

She was selected along with some classmates to participate in a quiz show type competition based on a specific list of books. Half of the questions were based on story comprehension - either a direct quote or a description of something within the story was read and the correct title had to be guessed. The other half were based on ability to match the author with the book - either a direct quote or a description of something within the story was read and the correct author had to be guessed. Tricky! Different point values were given for each type of questions, and points were taken away for answering correctly.

She and her team had about a week to prepare. They narrowed down the list of 20 books first by figuring out who had read what book, then dividing the remaining books needed to be read. The librarian also had study questions for them to practice with. I think Katie actually enjoyed the cramming. She knocked out several chapter books in a matter of days. I made author/title flash cards for her team. She didn't go anywhere without a book or handful of study questions.

I missed the first half, but from what I heard, they blew their competition away, particularly on the author section. Katie's class won the school meet and went on to represent the school at the district level. She was a bundle of nerves. The team who won the semi-final level all but swept it because they were fast on the draw - they had their hands on the buzzer and would hit it even if they didn't know the answer immediately. It was an exciting night. Even though it was disappointing not to advance to the finals, it was a thrill to have gone as far as they did!

A big thank you to Miss Becky for coming to cheer her on! Your passion for books is a great example to her!

Here is the list of books from this year's competition:
A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer
Attack of the Mutant Underwear by Tom Birdseye
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Close Encounters of a Third World Kind by Jennifer Stewart
Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret
Gabriel’s Horses by Alison Hart
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
In The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney
Just Grace by Cherise Mericle Harper
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
One-Handed Catch by Mary Jane Auch
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Tall Tales by Karen Day
The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
The President’s Daughter by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley
The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff
The Winner’s Walk by Nancy Ruth Patterson
The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin
Way Down Deep by Ruth White
Whittington by Alan Armstrong

Katie's goal for the summer is to read all the Bluebonnet books. Anna is joining her on her quest, as she can read about half of them based on her reading level. I'm sure Bethany will benefit from them as well!

field trips!

2009-05-20T21:12:00.024-05:00

#1
The 4th graders spent a good part of the year studying Texas history. They also had numerous fundraisers and successfully collected more than $4000 to pay for a day trip to Austin. We toured the Bob Bullock State History Museum, including a film at the IMAX, then picnicked on the Capitol grounds. We went on a self-guided tour of all the monuments surrounding the Capitol, then did some hands on fun in the Capitol Visitor's Center, and finally a brief tour of the Capitol building. The legislature was in session, so it was a very abbreviated tour.

#2
Katie was given the opportunity to attend a special concert with a select number of other upper elementary students. We went to the Empire Theater to hear and see an internationally renowned flute player and storyteller. (Unfortunately, I can't remember his name.)

He played instruments of all different shapes and sizes, and at one point was accompanied by another artist who used different objects as drums. It was a special treat.

#3
The Kindergarteners went to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. They rode the school buses through the open animal park, then visited the petting zoo. There was a picnic in there at some point - I hope they washed their hands!

I couldn't go with Anna because of a scheduling conflict (Bethany's dance class), so Shayne took the day off and joined her. He was able to do this when Katie was in Kinder too. It's a nice treat for the girls.

This is a good one. It shows the difference in Shayne's and my photography styles. Itry to absorb the whole scene, whereas he just focuses on one object. In this shot, he was focusing on Anna. What's the second thing you notice though? It caught my eye immediately.

Hint: I'm surprised Anna didn't feel the splatters. Ewww!

roxaboxen

2009-05-18T21:13:00.008-05:00

We L O V E D this story!

It totally reminded me of the imaginary fun my sister and I used to have when we were kids.
A big thanks to the Magik Theatre for introducing us to it. The play was great too!

We invited our special friend, Miss Tamra, to join us, and we bumped into our friends, the Davila's, while we were there.

fiesta farm fun

2009-05-09T21:14:00.016-05:00

The girls helped their friend Karleigh celebrate her birthday at Fiesta Farm. It was sunny and hot, and there were lots of flies (that's mom's point of view). The girls had a blast! They got to meet lots of animals, including rides on ponies, and there was a sandbox and a hayride. And birthday cake, of course!

hula hula

2009-05-08T21:18:00.012-05:00

Every other month or so, the school has "Rhythms Day". They come up with different themes and learn new songs and dances that feature that theme. I think it's a way for them to add a little extra fun to the year. It's not technically a party AND the kids get to dress up. They also learn a little about different cultures, and maybe even a little history!

The last Rhythms Day of the school year was luau-themed. Grass skirts and leis. Sunglasses and flip-flops. Easy, right?
Here's to Anna and the way she does the hula
Here's to Anna and the way she does the hula
the hula hula, the hula hula
Here's to Anna and the way she does the hula
Here's to Katie and the way she does the hula
Here's to Katie and the way she does the hula
the hula hula, the hula hula
Here's to Katie and the way she does the hula

(even Bethany got in on the action!)

For Katie, it was also Market Day. The 4th graders are expected to come up with a homemade product to sell. They have to purchase the supplies, assemble the items, price the items, create a display, and sell them. The kids in the school are invited to "shop". Katie had about a $15 profit. Not bad! She sold 2 different products - flower hair clips (artificial flowers taken apart, mixed up, then attached to metal clips) and fool's gold (rocks from the backyard spray-painted gold and wrapped in burlap). It was a good lesson on supply and demand, economics, etc.

are you my mother?

2009-05-07T21:20:00.004-05:00

I enjoyed this book as a child and we actually have 2 copies on our bookshelf now (board book and hardcover). It's fun to read because of all the different characters, especially the "snort".
We have been lucky enough to have 2 families born and raised right here in our own yard. Two years ago, a woodpecker made this hole on the right (and many more since). We watched both parents care for the babies until they went out on their own. This year, another bird moved in. We didn't know they were there until we heard the squeaking noises coming from the tree. It's above my head, so I can't get a good look in the hole, and I don't want to close and disturb them. Bethany and I would see them often during the day, once we were even lucky enough to see the mother feeding the baby beak-to-beak.

Now here's the problem. I'm assuming it's not good to have woodpecker holes all over your tree. The back side of this tree is covered. We love having the tree in the front yard - it adds to our curbside appeal and gives us lots of shade. How do we keep them from destroying our tree? We hear them often. We actually have many different types of birds in our yard. Sometimes it's a bit much. Daytime. Nighttime. And, have you ever heard a woodpecker on vinyl siding? Or had a bird fly into your sliding glass door? (no, my glass really isn't that clean) We even had one that flew into the back door so hard, we had to lay it to rest. :(

track & field

2009-05-06T21:18:00.007-05:00

The further along we get in school, the more opportunities we discover that are avaiable to us. Katie was invited to represent her school in the district wide track and field competition. She and 2 other girls from her school qualified for the obstacle course. They had the traditional running events, but the field events included a softball throw and frisbee toss, in addition to the long jump. It was fun to cheer for all our friends from ours and other schools too!

Katie and Emily have been friends since they were 2. They get along great (most of the time) and are always ready for a good BFF pose. Our families cross paths often (church, neighborhood, school, scouts, etc.) and we are lucky to have them in our lives!

horsin' around

2009-04-24T21:08:00.005-05:00

Katie met her lofty goal this year and earned a weekend at horse camp (FREE!). Even though I'm not the official troop leader any more, I was able to go because I am the designated first aider. I think I had just as much fun as she did. I've been on trail rides here and there over the years, but never any formal training. We learned a little bit about everything - nutrition, equipment, grooming, and of course, riding. We did not go on a trail ride, but we did spend quite a bit of time in the corral. We practiced starting and stopping, following and leading, balancing and more! It was pretty cool. Katie was beside herself with giddyness because she had never been on a horse before (other than pony rides). It was a terrific experience for both of us.

Thanks to everyone who supported us by buying Girl Scout cookies.

fiesta float

2009-04-23T21:06:00.004-05:00

The Kinder kids at the girls' school all made floats for their very own parade. I think the idea is traditonally to use a shoe box size container, with a string to pull it, but there was a lot of creativity this year. Anna is becoming quite the artist, and while sitting at a mexican restaurant a few nights prior, she started sketching the portraits hanging on the wall on her napkin. It gave me the idea to do an art float. We found several portraits that she liked, and she re-created them in her own special way. We embellished them with beads and flowers too. I also made a gazillion tissue paper flowers to accent her work. I think it turned out pretty amazing, and was definitely an original...

didn't eat it

2009-04-16T15:25:00.000-05:00

We've still got a small selection of candy leftover from the weekend. I separated all the stuff I didn't want them to eat (starburst, laffy taffy, tootsie rolls), and the stuff I wanted to eat (chocolate), and they were left with a simple selection. I've let them each have a few pieces throughout each day, but Bethany asks the most because she's at home the most.

I was talking to my M-I-L on the phone the other day and Bethany asked for a piece. I told her if she drank most of her water bottle, I'd let her pick one. She didn't want to do that, so she sat at the table for awhile sorting the candies by color, etc. After a few minutes of bring distracted by the phone call, I noticed she had managed to open a few packages.

I said, "Bethany, are you eating the candy?"
She said, "Nope."
I said, "Then what are you doing?".
She said, "I'm just licking them."

lights, camera, book fair

2009-04-15T17:19:00.000-05:00

Our elementary school is hosting their seasonal book fair this week. Scholastic always comes up with fun themes, which then roll into family night. This year it was Hollywood... movie stars... the Oscars... glitz and glamour... you know the drill. If you dressed up, you got your name in the drawing for a door prize. I don't know how many kids entered, but Katie won - a $10 credit! There's nothing Katie would rather spend her money on than books, so she was in hog heaven!

Here are the girls with our wonderful Librarian, Mrs. Rogers, and our favorite Volunteer, Mrs. Josey...

I told the girls they could each pick one book,
Bethany - Puff, The Magic Dragon, by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton
Anna - Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl, by Barbara Park
Katie - The Sisters Club, by Megan McDonald

plus they each get to choose one out of their teachers' wish box (for the classroom),
Anna, for Mrs. Schanlaub - Goodnight Gorilla,by Peggy Rathmann
Katie, for Mrs. Watts - Matilda, by Roald Dahl

then Katie decided she wanted to use some of her allowance to buy...
The Tales of Beetle Bard, by J.K. Rowling
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day, by Meg Cabot
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: The New Girl, by Meg Cabot
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

and the next day, with her prize "money", she chose:
Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis
and, a book of Mad Libs

Now, does anybody have an extra bookshelf we can use?

Easter festivities

2009-04-13T16:43:00.004-05:00

The weekend was kicked off by a party at Bethany's preschool. Crafts, snacks, and an egg hunt... such fun! Here she is in typical Bethany mode (these days, at least).

Here are the girls on Easter morning, fresh out of bed. Well, maybe not fresh. Apparently Anna pestered Katie for about an hour before they finally came to the top of the stairs. The EB hid eggs inside this year because of possible overnight thunderstorms. The girls used their Six Flags kids meal buckets to collect their treasures - we have a mish mosh of Easter containers collected over the years, this way it was 'fair' - everybody had the same size to fill.

We appreciate the sensibility of the EB. He usually brings something functional. This year... slip n slide, swimsuits, flip flops. The girls were thrilled. Of course, they each got a hollow bunny, some peeps, and a few other small treats.

I was also incredibly pleased with the way the girls Easter dresses turned out, and Shayne was thrilled that we didn't break the bank. Bethany wore a dress that she received from a friend for her birthday. I found the older girls' dresses both at Crazy 8 for $15 each! woo-hoo! We had to do a little accessorizing here and there, but I was happy with the result.

how does your garden grow?

2009-04-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

Anna and her fellow kindergarteners put on a delightful performance. They worked for months with the music teachers getting ready. It was the first kinder program our school has put on in it's entire four years. It was a bit chaotic, and some of the parents went a little overboard with costumes and sets, but it turned out great.

A few kids from each class were chosen to have speaking parts, based on their stage presence and ability to emote and project (some kinders just aren't quite ready for that). Anna's line was "all of the sudden, and quite unexpected, we're being invaded by weeds". She was one of the flowers, the boys were the weeds, and some of the other classes were farmers or vegetables.

Here is a link to a short clip of Anna's group song (taken with my broken camera). She is the lavender flower on the left side of the screen. They are singing "we are the loveliest flowers". watch

AND... thank you thank you to our friends that came to watch! Our kids are blessed!

mckinney falls

2009-03-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

We discovered a really nice state park, not too far frome home. It's located practically within the suburbs of southeast Austin, but it feels totally remote once you're there. There was flowing water, nice hiking, and great weather. A little too chilly to get in the water, but there was plenty else to keep us busy.

Because this park actually backs up to the TPWD HQ, they offer a lot of activities that we haven't seen at other parks - guided hikes, nature talks, arts & crafts, history lessons, etc. I took the girls to an after-dark class on spider sniffing at the amphitheatre. I'd heard about this phenomenon before, but never been successful at it myself.

We were also able to spend a few hours with Shayne's brother and family. Blake, Sarah, and baby Greyson live on the north side of Austin, and drove down to hang out for awhile. The girls loved playing with their cousin, but I think he was probably a bit overwhelmed by their attention.

By the way, I forgot to mention in my last post, I am camera-less. I dropped my digital in the parking lot at the bike rodeo, and now it doesn't work. I am now relying on my camera phone (temporarily), which is not that great. Thank goodness most of our activites occur when friends are around. I'll have to get copies from anybody who has pictures of my kids. :)

bike rodeo

2009-03-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Every year, the elementary school holds a bike rodeo. They have an police officer come talk to them about bicycle safety, and if they choose to bring their bikes, they can participate in a 'test course'. There are a series of lines painted on the blacktop behind the school. Katie was familiar with the course, so she did her best to re-create it in our driveway for practice. First, you have to ride slowly between two lines. Second, you have to ride on one line without wobbling off. Third, you have to weave in and out of a line of cones. Fourth, you have to do 2 loops around a large figure eight. There were also pre-requisites that earned you extra point - all the proper bike gear: reflectors, headlight, bell or horn, helmet, etc.

Katie has participated every year, but this was Anna's first. Both of the girls had recently upgraded bike sizes. Anna dropped her training wheels and took over Katie's bike. Katie was given a more grown-up looking bike, a hand-me-down from one of our babysitters.

Anna was one of the few kindergarteners that was without training wheels, and she definitely had on of the biggest bikes. She was very excited, but nervous. She was doing great until she lost control of her steering going through the cones, and therefore lost her confidence. She was ready to give up, but with encouragement from the crowds, she finished the course. She was quite upset at the end, I think more from embarrassment than anything. As much as Shayne and I both enjoyed being there, she probably would have been able to hold herself together emotionally if we hadn't been hovering.

Katie was very comfortable wth the course, but was still a little wobbly on the big bike. She did great, as usual. When she was done, she asked me how Anna had done. When I told her how upset she got, she said "well I told her she would mess up and get embarassed if she didn't practice more." I said, "you said WHAT? to a 6 year old?" It certainly helped explain some of Anna's emotional drama. I know it's just big sis trying to help little sis, but let's re-think the wording next time!!!

The biggest surprise was yet to come. We pulled the girls out of school a little early that afternoon because we were leaving town. We missed the announcements at the end of the day stating who had placed in each grade level. When Anna got to her class Monday morning, she had a 3rd place trophy waiting for her! Hooray!

interesting trip to the zoo

2009-03-24T21:46:00.006-05:00

It seems that the last few times we've tried to visit the zoo, the weather has not cooperated. Well today was no acception. Katie and Anna had an early release day, so I thought it would be fun to take a little field trip. When I saw the forecast yesterday, I thought to my self, "seriously?". We choked through a foggy, misty morning, and drove through random spurts of light showers, but we went anyway. And were glad we did. The sun came out, and it actually got quite warm (which equals extreme humdity!).

We had a few unique things happen while we were at the zoo. After greeting the flamingos, we came upon Mister Grizzly Bear. He didn't look too intimidating, based on his size, but he was pacing eagerly along the front edge of his habitat. When he saw that a small crowd had gathered, I think he actually stopped and posed for us. And smiled at us. Do grizzlies smile? Of course I didn't have my camera in my hand, so I missed it, but here is a good shot of the girls (very typical of Bethany these days.)

Next stop - Komodo Dragons - both were out, but not moving much. We proceeded into the indoor reptilian area, on the heels of some of the zoo staff. Ooh! Are we gonna get to see something cool? The Reticulated Python, whom I'm guessing was at least ft. long, was shedding, and they were going in to clean things up. One guy walked around with large tongs picking up all the previously shedded scraps. The other gal hooked up the rubber hose and proceeded to hose the python down. Full blast. In the face. Oh my! Are you serious? I guess because it's so big, it doesn't move that fast? And she was trying to agitate it so it would move around and loosen up more of it's skin? I don't know. That's just my guess. Anyway, we stood and watched for about minutes. Anna was the first to say she was ready to go.

The very next exhibit we came upon were the Gibbons. There were a few of them close to the front and very active. Right before our eyes, one of the smaller ones (we assumed it was a baby) squeezed RIGHT THROUGH THE CHAIN LINK FENCE! I'm glad it was just a little monkey, but I still made the girls get back. Plenty back. I was surprised there wasn't more scurrying about. It actually took a minute or two for a zoo employee to show up. And do you know what she did? She started calling it be name and telling him to get back in there. The same way I would talk to one of my children. I think it must not of wanted to stray to far from it's parents, which was good. But after a minute of so of positive discipline, it went right back in the way it came out. Amazing! I wish my kids were that obedient. :)

The next little while was normal zoo stuff. Cats. Birds. Rhinos. Giraffes. Zebras. More birds. Our zoo sure has a lot of birds. I suppose we were fortunate that it wasn't until we were on our way out that we were showered with a white spray from above. Way above. When Katie Anna and I looked at each other, it was all over our hair and arms. Just a light spray, but still enough to TOTALLY GROSS YOU OUT! Once we cleared the bullseye area, I looked up and saw a crane, way up high. As I said, this happened on the way out. Thank goodness we had antibacterial wipes in the car. Yuck! (I'd like to dedicate this last paragraph to my friend Deborah.)

love this song

2009-03-22T22:05:00.002-05:00

Remember Hootie and the Blowfish? They were big in the 90's. I think I even saw them once when I lived in Dallas. Well Hootie, a.k.a. Darius Rucker, is now leaving his mark on country music. I get goose bumps every time I hear this song...

the force was with me

2009-03-22T21:33:00.007-05:00

Katie has recently become particularly interested in the Star Wars movies. She watched the entire IV-V-VI trilogy this weekend. I haven't kept up with all the new stuff, but I remember when all the hoopla began. I pulled out these pics to show the kids...

Me & Stacy, with our dog Tootsie. Notice my nightgown...

Mom, Stacy and me, prior to our train trip to Dallas for Easter. Check out the drawing at the top left of the bulletin board...

putt putt for the fun of it

2009-03-21T21:25:00.001-05:00

Well, that's what we used to sing when we were kids. It was a frequent family activity then, but we rarely go now. The kids spent the evening with some friends, and Shayne and I actually had a date! It was a beautiful evening, and I was surprised the place wasn't more crowded. I've never been a particularly good miniature golfer, but I held my own. Shayne, on the other hand, was all thumbs. I still think he was fumbling on purpose, but regardless, I beat him pretty bad. It was kinda fun! Before we hit the green, we had a quick bite to eat. I reached outside of my tastebud box and went for the Tuscan burger - provolone, grilled asparagus, sun-dried tomato pesto on a sourdough bun. Yum-O! After the game, I made him buy me an ice cream treat at Sonic. It was a fun evening for all. We're doing a swap in 2 weeks with the family our girls spent the afternoon with. Free babysitting! Sorry, no pics on this one either. Although, you might have been amused seeing Shayne jog out into the middle of the street (Henderson Pass) to retrieve a lost ball.

virtual fitness

2009-03-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

Katie and Anna were invited to a birthday party last night at NexGym. It has a bunch of virtual exercise video games, a treadwall for rock climbing, and a mini-gym where they play kid-friendly dodgeball. The girls had a blast, and I know they got some exercise because they were all sweaty when we left. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but you can click on the website and see some of their featured activities. Lots of fun!

Happy Birthday Bryant and Bryce!

did we find the maples?

2009-03-18T20:40:00.012-05:00

We spent a chilly, damp, muddy weekend at Lost Maples State Park. The kids had a blast riding bikes, building forts, and hiking. Most of the hiking included low trails, but I took a few of the kids up one of the big hills. It was steep and rocky, but the view was incredible.

We even had a birthday party with one of our little friends.

The most exciting thing for our family was that Anna learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. She'd been practicing all week at home along the curb. She was off and on all weekend, but once she reached a certain comfort level, she just took off.

"stay"-cation

2009-03-12T21:00:00.004-05:00

We had no big travel plans for Spring Break this year, so I decided to plan a few fun things around town to do. Top of the list - using our Season Passes (I'm a bargain shopper).

Tuesday: Six Flags Fiesta Texas
We went with some friends, so we were able to do a little bit of 'divide and conquer'. Katie got to do some of the big loop-di-loos that she loves while Anna and Bethany and I stuck to the easy stuff. We LOVED the new Wiggles World kids section.

Wednesday: Magik Theatre
We went to see "If You Give a Mouse A Cookie". We have the book at home (of course) and enjoyed reading it several times before we went, especially so Bethany would get the storyline. The theatre does such a cute job of translating children's books to stage productions. Unfortunately, my prediction of a small crowd was way off. There were a ton of daycare-type groups in attendance, so it was packed and we did not have very good seats. It was still fun, and we shared the outing with more friends! After the show, we went to lunch at one of Shayne's favorite dives - The Lord's Kitchen (what a name). Not a place I would go on my own, but it was definitely a good burger. Since we were downtown, we also dropped off a trunkload of Girl Scout cookies at the USO that the girls' troops had collected money for.

Thusday: San Antonio Zoo
Well that didn't happen. The rains came in and the temperature dropped. We had an easy day at home instead. Kinda nice when it's unexpected.

showcase

2009-03-06T21:40:00.008-06:00

Katie and Anna were both selected from the grade levels to participate in this year's P.E. Showcase. Shayne and I were bery proud!!!

The Kindergarteners did an aerobic dance routine to "I'm A Believer". (Anna is to the right and center in a gray shirt.)

The Fourth Graders did a fitness routine to "Push It". (Katie is the middle of the back row of her section, wearing a navy shirt layered with a white tank underneath.)

We ordered the DVD this time, so hopefully there will be some good action shots of both girls.

I was also particularly proud to see 7 of my 12 Daisy Girl Scouts in the show!

out with the gray, in with the blue

2009-03-03T17:58:00.004-06:00

We've been driving our wonderful Ford Econoline van for more than 7 years now. We knew the time was getting near that we would have to say goodbye. As exciting as it is to get something new (or used), it was a sad farewell. We drove the van off the lot back in December 2001. Coincidentally, it was the same day I found out I was pregnant with Anna. Shayne pointed out that both Anna and Bethany rode home from the hospital in the van. They've never known anything else. It has 111K+ miles on it now, and has taken us on many family trips, not to mention the amount of time we spent in it just getting around town.

Shayne drove it to work last Friday so I could take his truck to get the oil changed. It is very ironic that the problems arose with him behind the wheel. (He thinks I sabotaged it.) We took it in for a 'diagnosis'. The first problem they found had something to do with intake valves and spacers - something to do with $900+! Holy cow! That didn't even include all the other items that needed to be fixed. Fortunately, we had been discussing some 'vehicular' changes, so we were ready to go ahead and look at some of the used vehicles on the lot.

We wanted something that had enough power to easily pull the camper. I also wanted something that was slightly more compact, but could still accomodate our family (& sometimes friends) comfortably. We've always had terrific service at Jordan Ford, so we knew we at least wanted to start our shopping there. We knew what we wanted and they had a few choices on the lot. They not only gave us a good price on the Expedition, but also offered a whole lot more than we were expecting on the van. The deal was too good to pass up.

j low

2009-02-28T11:45:00.006-06:00

Yes, we call her J Low... better known as Juliette Gordon Low.

Katie did a wonderful job with her presentation. In addition to her own class, their 1st grade reading buddies come to watch and listen too. Some of the other characters included Helen Keller, David Beckham, Anne Frank, Neil Armstrong, Leif Ericsson, Benjamin Franklin, Mia Hamm, Abe Lincoln, Leonardo da Vinci, and Tim Duncan.

We borrowed this vintage uniform from a friend... circa 1960? I had to do some research to find out how to put it all together. I hope I did it right.

cookies, check

2009-02-25T22:02:00.002-06:00

Well, another exhilarating season of Girl Scout cookie sales has ended. Between the two girls, we sold 385 boxes. This didn't include the booth sales they worked, which would put us plenty over the 400 mark we were shooting for. Thanks to all of you who have supported us this year. Katie will be attending horse camp with her troop, and Anna's troop will be attending a garden tea party (both later in the Spring).

We do still have 10+ cases to deliver, but they have a special destination. For the last few years, we have asked for extra donations to give to the soldiers. We do this through the USO in downtown S.A. Thanks to those of you that helped with this cause.

Girl Scouts has become a true passion to me. It offers our girls so many opportunies to learn and grow, and become leaders themselves. I've had my ups and downs as a troop leader, but it's seeing the light within each of these girls that has made me stick with it.

Katie will be doing a biographical presentation on Friday. She selected Juliette Gordon Low as her subject. Once Katie realized that who Mrs. Low was is what Girl Scouting is, the assignment became a breeze. Watch for a post on that later this week...

I AM SO PROUD OF MY GIRLS. MY OWN DAUGHTERS, OF COURSE. BUT ALSO, THE 22 OTHER LITTLE LADIES IN MY LIFE. :)

surprise visitor

2009-02-23T08:28:00.000-06:00

busy week, sick kiddos, tired mommy… I settled myself into the upstairs couch, prepared for a long night of croupy coughing. Shayne had gone to the airport to give a co-worker a ride home after a late flight. A little while later, I heard his voice, along with more than one set of footsteps. I thought, "oh my goodness, did he bring this guy back to our house?" I sat up in my grogginess and had to blink twice before I realized it was my brother standing in front of me. My little brother that I hadn't seen in over 2 years!

Normally, I'm pretty hard to surprise. I'm not a sneaky person who snoops around and tries to figure things out, I just pick up on clues fairly easy. I knew that something was brewing, because Oliver had called to talk to Shayne, and there had been several suspicious topics of conversation. But, I wasn't expecting him to show up for another few weeks. I guess you could say they got me!

We already had a full weekend planned, so I did the best I could to squeeze in every minute with him. We stayed up way past my bedtime both nights. It was nice to just hang out, and let the kids interact with him. They always enjoy spending time with their aunts and uncles, because the visits are few and far between. Hopefully our next visit won't be too far off!

truly scrumptious

2009-02-21T20:12:00.000-06:00

Through the world of Girl Scouting, we have the opportunity to obtain discounted tickets to numerous events and activities. While browsing the Program Guide last fall, I discovered they were offering a group discount to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (with Broadway Across America). Katie loves the movie, Anna likes most of it (except the part with the Child Catcher), and Bethany enjoys it (but is still working on her ability to sit through a 3 hour movie). When I saw it on the page, I knew I had to make it happen! I made some calls, gathered some friends, and we received the tickets in our stockings on Christmas morning.

The other two moms that went in on the group deal with us both had the same reaction I did… "I loved that movie when I was a kid, and my kids enjoy watching it too!" It was fun to see the girls, all dressed up, with their friends, at the theater. It was at the Majestic, an historic theater where the symphony usually plays. The whole outing was an experience to remember. The song and dance numbers were fabulous, and the actors all played their parts well – Dick Van Dyke leaves pretty big shoes to fill. The young actors that played Jeremy and Jemima were about Katie's age. The scary part with the Child Catcher wasn't too scary, but Anna hid her eyes anyway. And when they made the car fly and sang the theme song, I got goosebumps and almost cried!

I love the fact that my kids love to watch old movies. We usually opt for these selections when we're travelling for extended periods of time in the van. We have plenty of modern flicks in our repertoire, but they just don't make 'em like they used too. Not only to they enjoy the children's classics, like Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz, they've also taken a liking to shows like My Fair Lady and Singin' in the Rain. Of course, the musicals numbers are an obvious draw. Shayne's request for family travel is usually the Apple Dumpling Gang. We also have discovered that many of the movies that are re-makes of today were better in their original showing, like the Parent Trap and Yours, Mine and Ours.

night at the ranch

2009-02-20T14:12:00.000-06:00

I think it's pretty standard statewide that 4^th graders study Texas History. I didn't move to Texas until I was in high school, so I never had a Texas History class. I was eager to learn along with Katie.

We found out earlier in the year that the group was hoping to do enough fundraising throughout the school year to be able to take a field trip to the State Capitol and Bob Bullock State History museum. One of things they decided to do to help raise these funds was to put on a dinner and a musical. The kids worked hard to learn the songs, which, in the process, helped them learn their history lessons. They were also given the opportunity to have speaking parts – do you have any doubt in your mind that Katie wanted to be first in line to tryout? She was selected for a speaking part and they held rehearsals once a week for about 6 weeks.

Dinner was hot dogs, chips, nachos, sodas, and a large selection of bakery treats. We had several friends join us for the evening. The show was a success, and the 4^th graders met and exceeded their financial goal! Watch out Austin, here we come!

rodeo

2009-02-15T14:12:00.001-06:00

O.K., we didn't actually go to the rodeo, but everything we did that evening revolved around the rodeo activities… carnival, pony rides, junk food, animals. It was our first time to go as a family. Shayne had taken the girls to the stock show a time or two, and we've also been to a few concerts in past years. Fridays are 'dollar days', and we were trying to think of a fun family activity for the evening of Bethany's birthday. We pulled the girls out of school a little early, picked up Shayne at his office downtown, and headed that way. We wanted to get there and be on our way out before it got too late.

The carnival rides reminded me of the amusement park we went to when I was a kid. Shayne and the girls even went through a fun house like the one in the final scene of Grease. Katie opted out of the pony rides, not because she didn't want to, but she would have looked like a giant sitting on one of the ponies. (It was definitely geared to younger children). We saw a cutting horse auction, walked through the cow barn, then had to backtrack because the girls wanted to see the cows. (We saw one that had just been brushed – he looked as fuzzy as a teddy bear.)

It was a fun family evening and we hope to do it again next year!

Happy Valentine's Day...

2009-02-14T17:31:00.000-06:00

the packaging

2009-02-13T20:12:00.000-06:00

do I really need to tell you that sometimes the package is more fun than the gift?

birthday brunch

2009-02-13T14:12:00.002-06:00

When the sisters were each 3, we did a similar party at home with playgroup. Bethany is not in a playgroup anymore, so we chose a few of her friends that she spends the most time with. Instead of doing a traditional birthday cake, we (I) decided to do muffins and fruit. (The kids were already riding the roller coaster of sugar highs and lows from all the Valentine's candy.) It was a fun morning for the kiddos, and the moms were even able to get in some chit-chat!

Happy Birthday Bethany!

2009-02-13T07:19:00.004-06:00

Yippee!
Bethany Rose is three!

With her middle name being Rose, we've got a running list of the songs we hear that sing about roses. Here are a few of our faves. Can you help us think of more?

(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Cracklin' Rosie
The Rose
Moses Supposes (from Singin' in the Rain)
Rosie (from Bye Bye Birdie)

thanks to the Osborn's...

2009-02-06T07:37:00.003-06:00

Today is Asian Festival Day at Steubing Ranch Elementary. The kids get to "dress up" and have a celebration during their normal p.e./music time. The school does this every other month with a different theme.

We were totally drawing a blank on what to wear. Thanks to Lisa, Don, and Lindy, I was able to send them out looking pretty darn cute (if I do say so myself).

birthday girls

2009-01-26T07:47:00.002-06:00

We have started a tradition with Shayne's parents that instead of trying to guess what to buy the grandkids for their birthdays, they just take them shopping. This time, they happened to be here the weekend of Grandma's birthday, so we went to dinner on the Riverwalk, then came home for cake and ice cream.

Bethany and I had been to the pet store the day before to get some things for Sparky. She loves to look at all the little critters. I saw the cutest fish tank, and suggested the idea to G & G. We now have a pet Beta. Grandpa named him Betty.
Shayne's mom's birthday is the same date as my Grandad's, and it is my Grandparent's anniversary.

working with shapes

2009-01-19T08:09:00.001-06:00

I guess this is what you would call 'rectangular art'. All the Kindergarteners made these last week, and I thought they turned out really cute!

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, here is Anna's representation...

waiting to see the big guy...

2009-01-12T08:21:00.002-06:00

The month of December went by so fast. We were half-way through the season before we even tried to set a time to visit Santa at the mall and have the annual picture taken. We decided to wait until school was out and brave the week of last-minute shoppers. It did make the anticipation a little bit greater, as it was only 3 days before Christmas. (This also works to the parental advantage, because Santa doesn't always have time to re-do orders for last minute surprise requests.)

I decided to take pictures of the wait...

10:10 a.m. eager, smiling faces

10:24 a.m. wiggly, bored... and, I think I'm the oldest kid in line

10:39 a.m. this is taking forever!

10:51 a.m. almost there

10:57 a.m. we're next

10:58 a.m. who's going to sit where?

10:59 a.m. and we're done

You might ask "where is the picture of the girls ON his lap?" Well, since it's 3 weeks after, and I've already packed everything up, I can't seem to find them. Maybe I'll remember to show them to you next year.

drama for the drama queens

2009-01-09T10:09:00.004-06:00

The girls received AMC gift cards for Christmas, so last night I took them to see the movie Bolt. Because we had the gift cards, it was particularly exciting for them to each get their own snack pack. (We usually have to share one bag of popcorn.)

The movie was very entertaining - I picked it because it seemed most appropriate for all ages involved. It was fun, in particular, to watch Bethany. There were only 2 or 3 other families in the small theater, so she was able to move around and interject comments as she felt necessary.

Again, all 3 girls were most impressed with the snack stash in their own laps, so most of the movie, they were still. As the end of the movie drew near, it got a bit intense.

Katie's always been the sensitive one who cries, even at the "oh, that's too bad" parts.

Anna's just recently overcome her aversion to the big screen and loud noises, but still gets a little tense.

But, when the intensity climaxed, you should have heard them! They were all crying, very loud, and yelling at the screen, cheering the hero on. If I would have been there without them, I might have gotten a little choked up, but with all the racket this time, it was all I could do to contain my laughter. We all survived (without getting rotten tomatoes thrown in our direction), and the movie had a very happy ending.

imaginary friends

2009-01-08T10:02:00.000-06:00

The other day I was busy getting some things done around the house, and Bethany was playing, very content. I noticed that she kept talking "to herself" - this is not so uncommon, she oftens sings to herself, etc. When I walked into the room, I noticed she was being a bit more direct with her conversation. I said "Bethany, who are you talking to?". She said "My friend." I said "who is your friend?". She hesitated for less than 2 seconds and said "Kevin." I couldn't help but chuckle inside.

Both her sisters did the same thing about this age. Katie had 2 friends - Tiki and Gaga. Anna's friend was named Callie.

I love their BIG imaginations!

extraction

2009-01-05T20:33:00.000-06:00

Anna's been asking me for 2 years when she was going to lose her first tooth. Katie started losing teeth in Kindergarten, but I told Anna we'd just have to wait and see. Well we waited and waited, and finally the two front bottom teeth started coming in. Problem is, they were behind the baby teeth, so the baby teeth weren't getting loose.

We had our regular check-up at the dentist at the beginning of December, and the dentist told us that if they didn't come out on their own by Christmas, she wanted to extract them. I never explained to Anna exactly what that meant, just that the dentist was going to help take them out. At the same visit, they said Katie had a similar problem with one of hers. When we left, I told them they were getting dental work for Christmas - not funny, mom!

A week or so later, Katie's came out. She'd been giving it a really good workover - pushing, pulling, flossing, etc.

Anna wasn't as fortunate. We went back the week after Christmas, and they were still not very loose, and the new ones were coming in strong. Our dentist does such a wonderful job of being discreet. Anna didn't even know she had a shot - the worst part to her was the taste of the numbing gel they put on before the shot. Dr. Schlepp had to really tug and pull to get them out. Anna laid there patiently and hardly flinched. (It helped that she was listening to her new mp3 player.) I was so proud of her, and so grateful to our dentist for making it a not-so-unpleasant experience. Afterwards, I took Anna for ice cream. Dr. Schlepp said that cool would sooth some of the discomfort as the numbness wore off. Don't have to tell me twice! Baskin-Robbins soothes the pain!

And of course, the Tooth Fairy made a visit later that night... in exchange for the two pulled teeth, Anna got two $1 Presidential Coins.

And in case you're looking for a dentist... Stafford Family Dental

got cookies?

2009-01-04T20:09:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's that time of year again... Girl Scout Cookie Sales!

And, to make it just a bit more exciting and challenging, we have TWO girls selling this year.

Over the last few years, Katie has increased her sales by about 50 boxes each time. That would put her at 400 for 2009. It took some convincing, but she now agrees that since this really is a family effort, we would consider the 400 boxes a family goal. In order to earn the "initial order" patch, they each have to sell 150 boxes by the middle of this month. This will also earn them their "super sister sellers" patch (300 per family unit).

Katie LOVES selling, and especially enjoys telling people about the option to donate boxes to the soldiers. Anna is getting the hang of it, but is happy to let Katie do most of the talking when they're selling together. Shayne took them door-to-door on Saturday - they were gone almost 2 hours! They've also hit up all the regular customers at church. Next on the list - Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles!

Thanks a bunch to everyone who has supported us so far. We are combining the girls order forms and splitting the total... as of today, we are at 187! Almost half way there!

wrong address, WAY wrong!

2009-01-03T17:20:00.002-06:00

got a phone call earlier this week from 501 area code... usually let these go to voice mail, thanks to caller ID, but the last name was familiar, so I answered it; it was NOT the familiar name I thought it to be... it was a cheerful man with a strong southern accent calling to say that he had mistakenly received a Christmas card from us; he hadn't noticed the return address before he opened it, along with other cards, and then realized it was not addressed to his family... he noticed the contact information that I had included, and decided to call us to let us know that our friends would not be receiving their card... so as I'm grasping what's going on, he says he lives in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee - the card was addressed to friends in Mount Pleasant, Texas; he confirmed that the card was addressed correctly - street name, house number, zip code, etc., the only thing that could have been questionable was my handwriting - TX or TN... you'd think the USPS would have looked at the zip code before they looked at the state abbreviation, you'd think... anyway, if you ever mail something and it doesn't get to it's destination, check to see if there's a state with a similar abbreviation and same city name! (kinda scary)

AND, Merry Christmas to our (only) friends in Mt. Pleasant, TEXAS... sorry I'm out of pics or I'd send another! we'll catch you next year! (thank goodness we have our blogs!)

what IS his name?

2009-01-02T20:24:00.002-06:00

so I pick up the kids and we're heading home from Grandma and Grandpa's... not a whole lot of options when it comes to radio stations between here and there, so I flip around a lot... start singing along to James Taylor's "You've Got A Friend" (I've always liked this song, I remember it was in our elementary school music book, and I sang it to all my babies as a lullaby)... after a while, Anna says "what IS his name?" It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about, then a-ha, he repeats "you just call out my name" many times in the song. Good question Anna, funny, but good.

happy new year...

2009-01-01T23:35:00.002-06:00

here I am... all alone at a B & B... I've had 36 hours without kids, and 12 without husband... it's been a peaceful, refreshing retreat... just me

I intended on getting some blog catch-up done, but I think I'm going to call it a night...

inspired

2008-12-26T20:55:00.003-06:00

I was going through my Mom's desk drawers, and found some of my Grandad's old notes. I think he typed everything he referenced, either that or he underlined it in a book in red or blue pencil (I don't know what each color stood for). He was a minister, and I have many of his books and papers, all of which I hope to read some day. I figure if he read it, then it's worth reading (especially if it has his notes in it).

I came across this and wanted to share it with my fellow Blogger Moms...

A Little Parable for Mothers
by Temple Bailey

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.

"Is the way long?" she asked.

And her Guide said: "Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and life was good. and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come," and the Mother said "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the Mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children "A little patience, and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars, and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I give them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth--clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the Light." And the children looked up and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her hcildren were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their Mother, and when the way was rough, they lifter her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And the stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence."
-----

As I reached the end, the story took on a different meaning. It wasn't just about what I want for my children... it was also about what my Grandmother was to me. The last few paragraphs personify her. She passed away 4 years ago on Christmas Day. She was 96 years old. She lived her life showing God's love not only to her own children (and grandchildren and great-grandchildren) but to all the children she came in contact with.

My Grandad passed away at Christmastime the previous year. He was a wonderful person who touched many lives, all around the world. I wish so much that I would have spent more time in conversation with him, and listened more closely to his sermons. He lived his life to be like Christ.

We all miss them both dearly, but find a joyful spot this time of year, when we can rejoice in all being together again someday!

let's go to the hop

2008-12-12T08:52:00.010-06:00

nobody was really in a picture taking mood this morning, but I had to get a few anyway... it's "sock hop" day at school and the girls got to dress up...

when we've done this before, it hasn't been cold, so we were struggling to find something warm enough... they are also both wearing shoes that are a size too big!

crazy 8

2008-12-11T06:14:00.003-06:00

yes, this is the name of a cute new store - it's part of the Gymboree family, but has Children's Place prices... and, yes, it's the name of a card game - which I have no idea how to play

but today, it's a game of tag, and I'm it!

8 shows I watch:
Kath & Kim
The Starter Wife
Bonnie Hunt Show
Saturday Night Live
Dancing With the Stars
Tonight Show w/Jay Leno
the news
What Not to Wear

8 restaraunts I enjoy:
Chili's
Red Robin
Pei Wei
The Melting Pot
Alamo Cafe
La Madeleine
Schlotzky's
On the Border

8 things that happened today:
fixed the girls' hair
took Bethany to preschool
helped Anna's class do handprint reindeer antlers
facilitated Katie's literacy group
bought a pin at the Girl Scout shop
took the girls to the dentist
took dinner to the Anderson's
had dinner at Chick-fil-A

8 things I look forward to:
this friday - Christmas party & time with Shayne
getting cards and packages in the mail
next Friday - school's out!
Christmas morning - the joy on their faces
January 1st - fresh start
Girl Scout cookies (also January 1st)
bedtime - theirs and mine
bathtime - a nice long soak for me

8 things I wish for:
a simple life
happiness
the right thing to say, at the right time
to give my girls roots
to give my girls wings
world peace
household peace
inner peace

8 tags:
Dasher
Dancer
Prancer
Vixen
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Blitzen

:)

the perfect one

2008-12-10T21:10:00.002-06:00

How many shots do we have to take to find the perfect picture of our kids to put on the Christmas card? Would you believe we chose the first one? (I did not include it in the collage.) Katie & Anna were so patient while Bethany hammed it up. There were giggles and tears, and this all took place in less than 5 minutes. I think I took close to 30 pictures total. I'm so glad for digital cameras, otherwise I would have wasted a whole roll of film!

new tradition

2008-12-06T16:46:00.005-06:00

So the story goes... there was a poor man with three daughters, but he could not afford a dowry for them. They would probably reamin unmarried and have to find work as "slaves". Another man heard about the situation and anonymously dropped gold coins down their chimney, which happened to land in the stockings that were hanging by the fire to dry. This would be the origin of St. Nicholas, later to become the Santa Claus we know today. There are traditions in other cultures that have the children leaving their shoes outside the door to be filled with goodies will they slept. This story has been very comforting to Katie as of late because she so desparately still wants to believe - there was a man who did good things for people, and we carry that tradition on today. Simple, but very true.

I've always thought this would be a fun way to add something new to our family traditions, but we've never quite made it happen. This week, I suggested maybe instead of leaving our shoes out for candy, we just go shopping for new shoes. The girls each got a new pair at the beginning of the school year, but they're already looking rather worn. Here are the ones they picked out today...

Bethany has several pairs of hand-me-down shoes that she wears, one of them being a pair of Keds that both Katie and Anna wore. I updated them with new laces earlier in the year, but I think they've had it now. Baby needs a new pair of shoes!

thanksgiving stuffings

2008-12-05T08:55:00.040-06:00

AS SEEMS TO BE THE TREND LATELY, OUR SCHEDULE HAS BEEN CRAM-PACKED...

Katie and Anna both had turkey assignments to complete...

Anna had to decorate a turkey with the medium of her choosing. She (we) chose to use up the last of the Halloween candy... but, did you know that Elmer's glue will not hold a Tootsie Roll in place? It melts it. We had quite a mess!

Katie's assignment was a little more in-depth. She had to disguise her turkey, then write a persuasive essay to the farmer as to why she shouldn't get cooked. Her first idea was Harry Potter (of course), but after thinking more about the essay, she went with Barack Obama. You can't cook the President Elect, right? (our little joke was "Obama's a turkey")

Bethany enjoyed the festivities at her preschool...

The 2's were turkeys, the 3's were indians, and the 4's were pilgrims. They feasted on sliced turkey, cheese cubes, tater tots and grapes. There were games and crafts too!

Anna went to the same preschool, so it's fun to see Bethany following the same traditions.

I took Bethany to a Tiny Tot class at the zoo to learn about Thanksgiving animals...
Silly me, I thought we'd get to see a turkey. Instead, we met Twig, the owl (because there were owls at the first Thanksgiving, right?).

She had fun collecting leaves to use as feathers on her turkey art.

And I'm so glad she got to play with the big drum, because I hope to never have one at home!!

The Kindergarteners spent the week learning about Native Americans, so on Friday, they held a POW-WOW...

They designed their own shirts, jewelry and headbands, danced around the school singing their battle cries, and feasted on beef jerky and popcorn.

Our second annual Thanksgiving camping trip...

This time we went to Guadalupe River State Park, just an hour out of town. The weather was perfect and we had some precious downtime. We enjoyed exploring, skipping stones, fishing, and experimented with some yummy dutch oven campfire recipes!

Last, but not least, we had a delicious Thanksgiving meal with friends. I really enjoy preparing the whole spread, I just wanted to make sure we'd have enough mouths to put all the food in. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes (Shayne's speciality), sweet potatoes, Waldorf salad, cranberry sauce and more! Pumpkin Chiffon Torte and easy fudge for dessert - yum yum!

We are so thankful for all that we are blessed with!

little brother, big uncle

2008-11-24T09:04:00.005-06:00

2006 you & Josie, Anna, Bethany

2002 you & Katie, Josie, Anna

1998 you & Katie

1982 you & me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVER!

pretty portraits

2008-11-23T18:14:00.006-06:00

I will say, I think this is one of the best school pics of Katie so far. They do a Fall and a Spring, and they do re-takes each time. I've never been 100% satisfied, especially for what you pay! not too bad, not tood bad...

I was not as thrilled with Anna's pic - they tried to put her in a pose she wasn't comfortable with, AND her hair was in her eyes. However, she came home from school and said, "Mom, I look so beautiful!". How could I resist that?

Now, for Bethany. I actually had an appointment at Target (because I had a coupon), but when we got there, not only was the photographer unattentive, she had her schedule all mixed up. After about 30 minutes, we got up and left. I just wanted to get it done, so we called Wal-Mart and got in a few days later. When she asked what the occasion was, I was embarrassed to say that I had not ever had her 2-year old portrait done (her b-day is Feb.). I found some adorable rose jammies (her middle name is Rose), so we decided to go with a bedtime portrait. They turned out very cute!

Take a close look at this one. There is a black dot a little more than half-way up on the left. I couldn't tell what it was until I pulled out the 10x13... it was a flying insect, and you could actually see it's wings and body in motion! So weird!

few more punkin pics

2008-11-22T16:52:00.006-06:00

I just had to share these last few Halloween-ish photos of Bethany...

There was a pumpkin patch at the church where we go to music class. We went a few minutes early one day so she could explore.

Instead of Halloween at preschool, they do an "orange" party. I wasn't able to attend that day because I had some obligations at the elementary school. Shayne went, and I think they both had a fun time!

No more Halloween pics until next year, I promise!

bob

2008-11-20T08:01:00.001-06:00

Happy
Birthday
GrandBob
!!!

book report

2008-11-19T13:40:00.002-06:00

I was as passionate about books when I was a kid as Katie is now. I love it when I recommend something I read years ago, and she falls in love with it too.

Katie's book report theme for October was "mystery". She chose Trixie Belden and The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell. The teachers have given them a variety of ways to present their information... this time, Katie chose a diorama. A classic, right? Well, the problem is, you have to have a shoebox. Ugh! I just threw a bunch out - doesn't it always happen that way. Well, in the process of brainstorming, we realized that we had this little wooden dollhouse that wasn't much bigger than a shoebox (and we decided to use some of the furniture too). The whole thing turned out quite cute, if I do say so myself.

(yes, she purposely placed the sticker on her forehead prior to the picture being taken... it was way past her bedtime the night before the project was due, so she was a bit delirious)

Here is the description she attached:
Trixie & Honey came into the Miser's Mansion to find a strange redhead boy sleeping on a dirty mattress with a shiny cup and a shotgun next to him. There was trash and debris all over the place & the upstairs was boarded up... The upstairs had an old fancy bed, rug, chair & wardrobe full of old fancy clothes. Next to the bed was an old ible with Mr. Frayne's will in it.

I really enjoy working on projects like this with the girls. I offer plenty of suggestions, but let them take the lead. I've noticed there are 3 basics groups of families... those who just do the work for the child; those that work with the child; and those (unfortunately) that just don't care. I hope we always fall in the middle somewhere.

happy belated blog-iversary?

2008-11-18T20:37:00.018-06:00

...is that what it's called? Regardless, I missed my own. We started our blog on Halloween 2007 with "an oink oin here and an oink oink there", so I'll note our anniversary with our 2008 Halloween pics...

can you guess what our "theme" was this year?

the littlest hunter...

our church hosted a "trunk of treats" - everybody lined their vehicles up in the parking lot and the kiddos went from trunk to trunk collecting goodies

mac family retreat

2008-10-17T14:38:00.010-05:00

Every year (for I don't know how long), our church has hosted a family retreat at the beautiful H.E.Butt Foundation Camps. We have been fortunate enough to attend several times. The focus is on spending time with your family, although the sleeping quarters are divided up between the boys and the girls (yes, that means I get 3 and Shayne gets zero). It's a wonderful opportunity that we try not to miss. The pictures we take each year never seem to capture the beauty of the area (only because we're zoomed in on the kids).

Everybody looks forward to the water activities on Saturday afternoon. They had swimming, canoeing, and kayaking, and for the little ones, there were kiddie pools and slip'n slides.

Last year, the girls performed their infamous "Sisters for Sale" at the talent show. This year, we didn't prepare anything, but each of them still participated. Katie and Anna did a skit with a bunch of the youth - Katie's discovering her love of the stage (she played the lead female), Anna was happy with a background part (she was the rising and setting sun). Bethany, along with all the otehr preschoolers, was invited to participate in a dance routine with one of the older girls... click to watch ...then she sang a duet with her friend Mia.

gone fishin'

2008-10-16T14:01:00.014-05:00

Shayne and the girls, along with Mr. B, went fishing a few weeks ago out at Grandma and Grandpa's place.

Looks like it was a beautiful day!

I'm not sure who was taking the pictures, but I guess the cows were feeling particularly photogenic that day...

brush with fame

2008-10-11T09:51:00.012-05:00

I usually pick up a FREE monthly copy of San Antonio Our Kids magazine whenever I'm leaving HEB or Wal-Mart. It always has useful information about parenting and lots of ideas for things to do in the area. Recently, they started a photo submission contest. The first I read about it was in July, but it was already a day after the deadline. The theme for the month was "kids and summertime fun" - oh, but I had the perfect picture. I went ahead and e-mailed it, acknowledging that I knew it was late, but the picture was oh, so cute (in my opinion, at least). Well we never heard anything back, and I forgot about it.

About a month later, Katie told me that her Bible class teachers said they saw her in the magazine. We didn't even know we'd been chosen! We stopped at the store on the way home from church that day and grabbed a stack. Sure enough, there they were (the contest winners were all on the inside of the back cover). Bethany even found herself! "It's me, it's Bethany!", she said.

Here is the photo that was selected...

I also thought it would be fun to show you the four pictures I took immediately preceding...

That's about average for us... only 20% of the pictures I take have "potential", although the rest sure are fun memories!

double digits

2008-10-09T13:23:00.008-05:00

Katie turned TEN this week! What a journey it has been… and will continue to be! She has always made us very proud. I hope and wish that all HER hopes and wishes come true!

We celebrated over the weekend with a girls’ trip to Dallas. Nana and Aunt Judy met us there for a few days of fun, food, and shopping. We shopped and ate and shopped and ate. We swam, saw live music, rode the trolley, and ate some more. It was a cram-packed weekend!

The focal point of the weekend was a trip to the American Girl Boutique & Bistro. It was the first time that any of the four of us had been. If you're a fan/collector of their stuff, it's an amazing experience. Katie received her first doll, Bitty Baby, and accessories when she was two years old, from Aunt Janet and Cousins Kim & Emily. (It's all their fault!) Her collection grew with every birthday and holiday. When she was in Kindergarten, Santa Claus brought her Samantha. Her collection has continued to grow, mostly through gifts, but she's made a few purchases with money from own savings. For many years (at least 3 or 4), we've been planning this big 10th birthday trip, however, originally, the destination was supposed to be Los Angeles. AG has 3 large stores (LA, Chicago, NY) and 2 smaller stores (Dallas, Atlanta). We had chosen to go to one of the bigger stores because they had more activities to offer, including The American Girls Revue (a song and dance production featuring all of the historical girls). When I went online a few months ago to start make reservations and purchasing tickets, I found out that the curtain was coming down for the last time on September 1st. WHAT!?! We were all disappointed (except Shayne - he's thinking about saving money). Katie's birthday was Monday, and would you believe, I got an e-mail late that afternoon telling us that after 22 years, AG had decided it was time to archive Samantha. WHAT!?! We're working diligently on a wish list... they didn't say when this would happen, just that is was going to happen... we want Katie's collection to be somewhat complete before it's no longer available. (although, there's always Ebay)

alligators and underwear

2008-10-06T18:35:00.001-05:00

One of the things I failed at with Katie and Anna was documenting all the funny things they said as toddlers. I'm so glad I have this outlet now... to be able to "jot things down" and not worry about it looking good or being lost in the shuffle of papers and books.

We were walking into the church where Bethany takes music class. As we entered, she said "I want to go to the alligator". My mind immediately began the shuffling process... was there a picture of an alligator? (there are several murals along the walls of the children's wing)... was there a song about an alligator? Just a few steps in the door, I realized that just around the corner was the ELEVATOR. She loves to push the button and wait for the doors to open and shut. Now I know!

We have an older couple that lives a few doors down and they've always been very sweet to our family. They remember the girls' birthdays, have visited us in the hospital, and are always interested in how we're doing. We were driving down the street and saw him working in his yard. Bethany said "there's Mr. Underwear". Their name is UNDERWOOD. I haven't told them yet... I hope they don't mind. :)

would you like something to drink?

2008-10-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

Bethany and I were running a few errands this morning and decided to stop for a cold drink. My beverage of choice happened to be a large blackberry iced tea (unswetened) from Sonic. I'm still not 100% confident that Bethany can manage a styrofoam cup unsupervised in the backseat, so I asked her if she would like a chocolate milk (it comes in a little plastic jug with the foil cover under the lid - great for minimizing spills). She said "I want a hamburger", I said "it's not time for lunch, would you like some chocolate milk?", she said "I want some french fries", I said "sweetie, I'm going to have some tea, would you like a drink?", again, she said "french fries, please", I said "you'll have to ask Daddy to get you some french fries this weekend" (as I'm going out of town), she said "french fries with Daddy?", I said "yes, would you like a drink?", she said "chocolate milk, and I have french fries with Daddy"... my girl loves her fried potatoes!

Another french fried story... when Anna was 2, she told Santa she wanted french fries for Christmas, and they were delivered Christmas morning as promised (a bit soggy and cold), but she became a believer for life!

back to school... 6 weeks later

2008-10-01T21:30:00.002-05:00

So if I was getting graded on my blogging, I'd probably have to ask for an "I" (incomplete), or else y'all might give me an "F" (failure)... fortunately, my kids are doing much (much, much) better than that... wait a minute, I'm behind on this because I've been helping them with that, right? I give myself an "A" in justification!

Here they are... our two elementary students, Katie entering 4th and Anna entering Kinder... both excited, yet slightly apprehensive - Katie, not having any of her friends in her class; Anna, new school, new teacher, new friends, new routines...
We did encounter a bit of drama at the beginning of the year... first, let me say that we got the thumbs up on Katie's teacher because she had relocated from another school where Katie's friend had her the previous year... now, we also heard wonderful things about the teacher Anna was assigned to - problems arising - she was set to retire at the end of September - WHAT! why would a teacher even start the year only to leave 4 weeks into it? especially in Kindergarten, where the child's foundation is so crucial! Needless to say, Shayne and I were a little concerned (and some tears were shed) - we had the opportunity to visit with the principal before classes started and she was extremely positive and reassuring about the situation - as we had done every year Katie had been in school, we left it in God's hands... Anna is now under the instruction of a wonderful teacher (who also came with high commendations from a friend) and we are sure she's going to have a great year!

We met with each of their teachers this week for conferences. We've never been totally surprised, but always relieved, to get incredible feedback. I've always said it's o.k. if the kids act up a little at home, as long as they behave when they're anywhere else! It certainly holds true... (put on your bragging blinders - this is for the grandparents) we've had teachers say they want their young children to grow up to be like our girls, they've both been described as leaders and favorites (shhh!), and (like we didn't already know) they're both very smart! :)

Our sweet little Bethany also started school this year... preschool that is. She's been ready for awhile, as she was with me for the past three years taking Anna to the same preschool. She walked right in the first day and didn't even look back. She hasn't bitten anyone (hallelejuh!), and I believe she is one of the more vocal children in the class. Earlier this week, she had to do some time-out because she forgot to use her nice hands. We talk alot about using our words and asking a grown-up for help. When I was discussing it with her afterwards, her response was "but they were bothering me!" Hmmm... does that sound like a big sister quote or what? explanation of the pictures: top left - showing the contents of her lunchbox; bottom right - she currently has a fascination with armpits - amidst the other poses, she chose to add these herself